


The Girl with the Golden Hair

by Solstilla



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23975512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solstilla/pseuds/Solstilla
Summary: AU where Rapunzel is returned to the king and queen at five years old, but she is still a prisoner. King Frederick and Queen Arianna are terrified their daughter will be taken from them again. Unable to handle captivity anymore, she escapes and meets a kind ruffian named Flynn Rider. He promises to help her by taking her to the moonstone so she will finally be free.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Rapunzel, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	The Girl with the Golden Hair

**Author's Note:**

> First ever Tangled fic! I hope you like it!

“This…is the story of how I died.”

“Oh, now who’s being dramatic!” Eugene exclaimed, pinching his wife’s sides. Rapunzel giggled, tilting her head back from where she sat in his lap, pressing a tiny kiss to his chin. Cassie and Lance pretended to gag. Their parents were so gross! And very unbothered by the twins’ reactions to their kisses. Eugene was the first to regain his composure, wrapping his arms around her swollen belly.

Baby number three was due in only five short months, and he thought his life couldn’t get any happier than it was in that moment. Rapunzel was with him, Cassie and Lance were happy and well-cared for in their enormous castle, they were adding to their family, and Rapunzel was becoming more and more confident she could become the queen by the day.

“As I was saying,” Rapunzel continued. “It’s the story of how I died, but don’t worry…” She glanced to Eugene. “It’s actually a very _fun_ story…” 

* * *

It was her birthday, and Rapunzel was turning five whole years old! Mother had gone out to get some things to make hazelnut soup and Rapunzel was very excited. She didn’t really know if she liked hazelnut soup, but Mother insisted it was Rapunzel’s favorite and Mother knew everything, so it was her favorite. As she waited for her to return, Rapunzel drew a picture of her and her mother with a big heart in the background. She also put a little green dot in the corner to be Pascal but she didn’t want Mother to know about him.

She was funny when it came to leaving the tower or seeing things from outside, but it made a lot of sense. Mother told her that her hair was magical, and people would want to use it. She said people would harm her if they did. The only reason Mother was allowed to use her hair was because she had been chosen specially to love and protect her. She said it was the sun who chose her.

Rapunzel liked the sun. Sometimes it would shine into her room and it made everything feel warm and it was so bright. The sun seemed to like Rapunzel too because even though it went to bed everyday it came back and would play hide and seek throughout the tower with her. Sometimes it shined through her living space window, sometimes the only time she could find it was when she opened the window at the top of her tower, and other times she’d see it for just a moment in her bedroom window. It usually got dark out after that, so it must have gone to bed.

The moon was really nice too, but she didn’t play hide and seek with it. Mother had brought home a book on stars and the paintings the sky makes with them. Rapunzel loved to open the top window and look up for the star paintings. _Constellations_ , they were called in the book.

But more than the sun, more than the moon, more than the stars, she loved the lights. They only shined on her birthday, but because of that, it felt like they were meant for her. Maybe it was little gifts from the sun? It didn’t seem right, but Rapunzel couldn’t think of any other explanation.

She hoped one day when she was big and strong enough to face the world, Mother would take her to see the lights. Maybe someday Mother would let her see the sun instead of making it search for her. Until then, she would stay in her tower because that was what Mother said she should do, and she never wanted to upset Mother.

As the day went on, Rapunzel waited and waited for Mother to return, but she never did. She was starting to get worried. What if Mother forgot about her? What if she got hurt? She was always saying how scary and horrible the world was outside her tower, but Rapunzel never thought it would hurt Mother! Mother was strong. Mother was kind, and smart, and brave. Her biggest fears had been confirmed when men on what Rapunzel had learned were horses from her fairytales came climbing her tower walls. She screamed, running to hide under her covers.

Instead of one of the big tall men coming to find her, though, she was greeted by a girl who looked not much older than her.

“What’s your name?” she asked, looking just as timid as Rapunzel felt. The girl had black curly hair and big grey eyes. She looked nice. She looked like Mother. She looked _safe_. Rapunzel crawled out from under her blankets for her, but she did grab hold of her pillow for protection.

“I’m Rapunzel,” she whispered, afraid the big scary men would hear her. “What’s your name? How did you find me? Are you here with _them_?” Cassandra stared at her for a few seconds before plopping down on her bed beside her, taking the younger girl’s hand in her own.

“My name is Cassandra. I’m Mother’s other daughter.” She smiled. “That makes us sisters.” Rapunzel blinked up at Cassandra. How could she be Mother’s daughter if she didn’t live with her? But Mother wasn’t at the tower very often, she supposed. Maybe that was why she didn’t spend every night with Rapunzel? Cassandra kept talking. “Those men say that Mother is in very big trouble for stealing and we have to come with them.”

Rapunzel shot up, pulling Cassandra with her towards her wardrobe.

“We have to hide! They’re bad! The men are bad! They say that because they want my hair! They want to use my hair and they’ll hurt us to do it! Cassandra we can’t let them see us!” Cassandra didn’t seem convinced. She had a funny look on her face and Rapunzel was worried she might cry. Now that they were inside the wardrobe and safe, Rapunzel wrapped her arms around Cassandra. Mother did that when Rapunzel was sad. “It’s okay Flower,” she said, repeating what Mother always said to comfort her. Cassandra went still.

“What did you say?”

“I said it’s okay Flower.” Cassandra’s eyes grew wide.

“Where did you hear that?” Rapunzel really wasn’t sure what was going on.

“Mother says it to me when I’m sad. She says I’m her Flower.” Cassandra began to weep, and Rapunzel didn’t know what to do, so she just kept repeating, “It’s okay, Cassandra, it’s okay.” When the older girl finally looked back at her, her face was splotchy, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Regardless, she smiled.

“Rapunzel, we have to go with those men. I saw Mother with them. She hurt them. She told them I was her Flower and that when she cut my hair, I lost my flower magic. They almost left, but then another man said they found a tower in the woods and that it looked suspicious.” She looked down at the blond girl beside her. “You’re her Flower. And those men say that she stole you from your parents when you were a baby. They have the king and queen’s crest on their suits. Rapunzel, I think we need to go face them.”

Rapunzel didn’t know what to do. She thought kings and queens were only from fairytales. If they knew about her magic hair, they could just be trying to steal her away from Mother, couldn’t they? But, for some reason, she trusted Cassandra. She believed her.

“Promise you’ll protect me?”

Cassandra blinked, taking her hand.

“I promise.”

“Let me go get Pascal.”

* * *

When they got to the castle, Rapunzel was no longer afraid. The men- they were called guards- were very nice to her. They even stopped on the way to get her something to eat since they heard her stomach grumbling. She liked schnitzel much better than hazelnut soup. They even gave her a cupcake when they got to the center of the town and were stopped by the crowds. One of them said a bad word to the other, and that it was Rapunzel’s birthday.

Her heart thudded. She’d almost forgotten.

“The lights!” She gasped, trying to get off the big white horse, but the guard behind her held onto her.

“You’ve seen them before?” He was surprised. Rapunzel didn’t know why. The lights were in the sky, they were a gift from her friend the sun. Didn’t everyone see them? They must not, she supposed, if the nice old man hadn’t.

“The sun gives them to me every year on my birthday. We have to go back so the sun will know where to find me!” All of the guards were quiet after that, before the one holding onto her smiled and nodded.

“What if I promised you, where we’re going, you can see the lights even better?” Rapunzel shook her head at that, eyes wide and a smile growing on her face.

The guards took her and Cassandra to the castle entryway. Cassandra didn’t let go of her hand for a second, and Rapunzel didn’t want her to. She said they were sisters. She’d always wanted a sister and now that she had one, she didn’t want to lose her. Pascal sat on her shoulder, snuggling up into her. They both seemed to know just what she needed. She liked holding Cassandra’s hand and Pascal’s snuggles way more than Mother’s hugs. The guard explained to the two girls that Rapunzel’s real parents were going to come meet her. They tried to take Cassandra with them, but Rapunzel wouldn’t let them take her away. They were sisters.

And then the man and the woman ran out, and they started crying. The woman looked like Rapunzel, which confused her. Cassandra looked like Mother, but Cassandra was Mother’s real daughter. Rapunzel was stolen. Was that why she looked like the woman? They knelt down to look into Rapunzel’s eyes, and she started crying too. She didn’t know why, but these people, they felt safe. They felt like the _sun_.

She burrowed her face into the man’s chest, pulling Cassandra in with her. All four of them stayed like that for a good long while.

* * *

Rapunzel and her new sister Cassandra were given bedrooms right beside each other. The man and the woman-Rapunzel heard the guards call them His Majesty and Her Majesty-went into Rapunzel’s room with her. She saw a man-he looked like he was in charge of the guards-go in with Cassandra.

Her bedroom was the size of the whole tower, but it was her bedroom! She ran to the window, squealing with excitement as she realized there was a little part of it where she could stand _outside_! His Majesty pulled her back from the railing gently and tilted her head up to look at him.

“Rapunzel, my dear, I am so happy you’re home.” He hesitated. “The guards filled us in on everything you told them. You are safe now. No one will ever hurt you again.” Her Majesty spoke up now.

“But sweetheart, your…your _Mother_ was right about one thing. Your hair puts you in danger. Your hair, sweet girl, is the reason she stole you from us in the first place.” She hesitated, and His Majesty took over. Rapunzel only stared up at them. She thought she knew where this might be going, especially because Her Majesty was holding scissors.

“Rapunzel, may we cut your hair so that no one will ever hurt you like that again?” And Rapunzel didn’t want to be taken from these people who felt like the sun. She didn’t want to go back to the tower and never feel grass again. She didn’t want to be separated from Cassandra.

“Okay, His Majesty,” she whispered. He brushed back her hair from her face, smiling fondly.

“You can call me Dad. And you can call her…” he looked to Her Majesty. “You can call her mom.” Rapunzel nodded slowly. Mom was a lot easier to say than Mother. “Are you ready to get your hair cut?” She nodded again, closing her eyes because she was nervous.

“All done,” Mom said. Rapunzel’s eyes flew open. She didn’t even feel anything, but her hair was brown now, and it only went to her waist instead of dragging along the floor as she walked. Maybe her head did felt a little lighter, though. “Now I heard someone wanted to see the lights?”

Rapunzel’s face lit up.

“I do!”

* * *

Mom, Dad, Rapunzel, and Cassandra all stood on the outside section of Mom and Dad’s room. Mom held Cassandra’s hand while Dad held Rapunzel’s. Together, they lit and set free the lantern.

The lights were _lanterns_ all along. And they _were_ meant for her. Maybe they weren’t a gift from the sun but being held and kissed and cuddled the way her parents did with her, they sure felt like her old friend.

Their lantern flew high in the sky, and then a bunch more from the people gathered below them soared overhead. It was beautiful and everything Rapunzel had ever dreamed of.

She hopped onto the railing in front of her, gripping the poles to keep herself steady as she watched all the lanterns set off to celebrate her return. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn’t care to wipe at them. Her mouth hung open as music began playing in the streets below her. She recognized the sound of the guitar because she had one, but the other instruments were new to her. She had a sneaking suspicion there was a lot she didn’t know about. Although she wanted to learn more about everything later on, all she wanted to do right then was enjoy the beautiful sounds as the air around her was filled with the lights she’d been dreaming about her whole life. She liked it here.

Maybe Mother was wrong. Maybe the outside world wasn’t so bad after all. 

* * *

Zhan Tiri watched the young princess from the streets of Corona. Her hair was cut. She no longer held the power of the magic golden flower, but not to worry. She had a plan.


End file.
